On May 1, 2021, Jim Gottschalk became Chair of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis Trial Section. At the same time, Jim began serving a one-year term as a member of the Missouri Board of Governors. The Trial Section arranges and coordinates a number of trial-related seminars throughout the year and the annual Judicial Retirement Dinner. The Board of Governors is the policy-making body for the Missouri Bar. On May 13, Jim had the honor of judging a round of the National High School Mock Trial Championship which was hosted this year by the Indiana Bar Association. On June 25 at noon, Jim will be presenting a Zoom webinar through the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis on “What to do Before Trial” which will focus on the details of trial preparation.
Jim is a principal attorney at Gausnell, O’Keefe & Thomas with more than 30 years of experience as a trial lawyer. He has defended individuals and companies in more than 60 trials in State and Federal Courts in Missouri, Illinois and Kansas. Jim received his B.S. in Business Management from Illinois State University in 1981 and received his JD in 1984 from Washington University School of Law. Jim was admitted to the Bar in Illinois in 1984 and the Bar in Missouri in 1985. He is also admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri, the Central and Southern Districts of Illinois and the District Court of Kansas. Jim has argued cases in the Appellate Courts in both Missouri and Illinois and has appeared before the Kansas Supreme Court.